The daughter of the founder of the popular Trek bicycle company, Burke's message is one of economic development, contrasting Walker's economic leadership which she says has left Wisconsin 45th in projected job growth.
"I'm running for governor because we can do better than that, a lot better," Burke says in a video announcing her campaign.

Burke, to date, is the only Democrat to launch a challenge to Walker, who last year survived a recall election launched after pushing for and signing into law legislation stripping most public unions in the state of their collective bargaining rights.

Burke served as Wisconsin Commerce Secretary from 2005 to 2007. Burke highlights that experience in her web video, promoting herself as a job creator compared to the politics she argues are ruining the state.

"We've got to make some real changes in Madison." Burke said.

"Just like Washington, our state capitol has become so focused on politics and winning the next political fight, it's pulling our state apart and our economy down."

The Republican Governors Association was dismissive of Burke's campaign.

"Wisconsin Democrats have settled on millionaire Mary Burke as their sacrificial lamb in the 2014 governor's race," Executive Director Phil Cox said in a statement that blasted Burke's record as Commerce Secretary.

"Burke's candidacy is sure to rely on the tax-and-spend model of governing that plagued Wisconsin for years before Governor Scott Walker stepped in to clean up the mess that Burke helped create."

The Democratic Governors Association in turn touted Burke's career while slamming the incumbent.

"Governor Walker has failed to deliver on his central promise of 250,000 new jobs because he's been distracted by a divisive ideological agenda," Association chair Peter Shumlin, Gov. of Vermont, said in the statement.

"Instead of working to come through on his word, he attacked the rights of workers and women, and rewarded the wealthiest and well-connected at the expense of the middle class and investments in education."

soundoff(34 Responses)

wow... just wow.... can you say deomcrat desperation to field a candidate? by all means.... lead the little lamb to slaughter....

October 7, 2013 04:42 pm at 4:42 pm |

2020

Scott Walker should keep walking, off the cliff

October 7, 2013 04:48 pm at 4:48 pm |

Woman In California

One can only hope she makes it.

October 7, 2013 04:49 pm at 4:49 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

"Sacrificial Lamb?" Oh, you've got to love the misogyny implicit in their statement. Its nice to know that the GOP is content with WI being 45th in the country in job creation, especially with all the well-trained, well-educated, and motivated people that Scott Walker routinely disses. The only motivation they need is a viable alternative to the Koch Brother's poodle, and it looks like they have one.

October 7, 2013 04:50 pm at 4:50 pm |

Lynda/Minnesota

Why are nearly 80% of CNN articles related to the Koch funded Tea Party members?

October 7, 2013 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

Wire Palladin, S. F.

The Kochs favorite lap dogs, Walker and Scott will receive hundreds of millions for their continued destruction of WI and FL.

He will go after her because she is a women. This will be the end of Walker because 80% of the women in the state will vote for her.

October 7, 2013 05:34 pm at 5:34 pm |

Ol' Yeller

By whom is Walker thought to be a possible contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination?

Scott Walker.

October 7, 2013 05:37 pm at 5:37 pm |

allow me to translate

Former bicycle executive Mary Burke
The daughter of the founder of the popular Trek bicycle company,
-–

Daddy founded the company, did all the work and gave little Mary a cushy 6-7 figure job pretending to work.
Just we all know how this works.

October 7, 2013 05:38 pm at 5:38 pm |

just asking

democrats are going to waste millions of this failed candidate.... i'm sure the real far lefties will be attacking this woman because she's an evil greedy 1%er that has been oppressing them for years.

October 7, 2013 05:57 pm at 5:57 pm |

RobC

Here is an honest question for you left wingers blaming the GOP for your problems. How can you defend the president when he is instructing the National Park service to close off everything, including the National Mall to the American taxpayer while approving the same space for a protest for illegals, by illegals and attended by illegals? This decision comes straight from the executive branch, not the house, and not the senate. Seriously, how do you defend that? Why does the president want to inflict harm on the citizens?

October 7, 2013 06:01 pm at 6:01 pm |

teabags over the cliff

republicans, self proclaimed business geniuses, have been running Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisiana into the ground for years. Let's Welcome Wisconsin to the bottom. Good work boys, keep breaking the work man down.

October 7, 2013 06:04 pm at 6:04 pm |

Joe Ferrara

Please oh please yee citizens of the great state of Wisconsin. Study the difference in ideologies of the two parties!!!.
Republican want small government, no taxes for the wealthy and no help for those 's jobs they have taken from us, and lowered the wages of the peons so as to get closer to the wages of India!. Move all to part time employment with no benefitsl to tell us to get a job!!!! In Eugene Oregon our community owed utility EWEB is replacing meter readers to a digital on human machine> Just where do republicans like those laid off to apply for a job in Eugene, Oregon????
Peons have no survival chance as long as the wealthy, pharma's, bankers, hedge fund managers, oil industry exec's
millionaire members of both houses of Congress. We are doomed and chased in to the corner to die!
Lets fool them with some really new avenues of resistance??????

October 7, 2013 06:32 pm at 6:32 pm |

Joe Ferrara

Please oh please yee citizens of the great state of Wisconsin. Study the difference in ideologies of the two parties!!!.
Republican want small government, no taxes for the wealthy and no help for those 's jobs they have taken from us, and lowered the wages of the peons so as to get closer to the wages of India!. Move all to part time employment with no benefitsl to tell us to get a job!!!! In Eugene Oregon our community owed utility EWEB is replacing meter readers to a digital non human mahine> Just where do republicans like those laid off to apply for a job in Eugene, Oregon????
Peons have no survival chance as long as the wealthy, pharma's, bankers, hedge fund managers, oil industry exec's
millionaire members of both houses of Congress control us. We are doomed and chased in to the corner to die!
Lets fool them with some really new avenues of resistance??????

October 7, 2013 06:36 pm at 6:36 pm |

karen18407

This poll is a LIE....everyone is blaming the republicans.

October 7, 2013 06:36 pm at 6:36 pm |

Lisa P.

"Burke's candidacy is sure to rely on the tax-and-spend model of governing that plagued Wisconsin for years before Governor Scott Walker stepped in to clean up the mess that Burke helped create."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Governor Walker, of course, prefers the traditional Republican "Borrow and Spend" model. Wisconsin's debt service is now 20% over what had been projected under Governor Doyle. Support for education is way down, the working poor are being kicked off Badgercare, job creation has sunk to among the lowest levels in America, but, hey!, the road builders are making out like bandits and soon manufacturers won't have to pay any tax on anything and the State will pay for most of their worker training *and* their unemployment insurance! Too bad manufacturing is a small and shrinking part of Wisconsin's economy (17%, now?) or we'd all be doing great. That $800 million in Federal train money still looks like a gaping hole in Wisconsin's economic recovery and Walker's various other ideologically-motivated economic missteps (like refusing Medicaid funding) are starting to add up to another.